Hollow Gestalt
by Azure Umbra
Summary: "Hallownest is dying. Once thriving populations now lie decimated by plague and disease...The end has never felt so close." (Hollow Knight AU told in a NieR-like plot)
1. Prologue: Shining Necropolis

***I recommend that you listen to "Snow in Summer" by Keiichi Okabe while reading this, though I'd also recommend you listen to "Deep Crimson Foe" (also by Keiichi Okabe) when you get to the final paragraph before the second line break.**

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Prologue: Shining Necropolis

Deep beneath the shadowy earth, the burrowed kingdom of Hallownest stood in suffocating silence. The walls and floors of the complex and spacious caverns were lined with intricate buildings. It mainly consisted of dwellings that were beautiful in design and also simple in function. Most areas ranged from grand settlements to more modest communities, all of which numbered in a fair range of cool colors, such as green, grey, blue, and the occasional pink and purple. But despite the thematic beauty that defined the kingdom with its hues and intelligent designs, it could not mask the tainted puddles and globules of luminescent orange that stained every inch of every area. That, alongside the near-complete absence of citizens, contributed to the unsettling combination presented in this backdrop.

In the shadowed silence of a lone shell-shaped shack, a horned, white-headed bug of a diminutive size sat with their head resting down on its knees while leaning back against a broken aisle shelf. A dark green, moth wing-like cloak that the bug wore on their shoulders draped around their pitch black body to give them some semblance of warmth. Even when taking every bit of peace they could while surrounded by the bubbling stains of luminescent orange covering the ground and other buildings, the bug couldn't help but remain half-awake as they could feel a pull deep down. It was a pull that tugged at its chest and mind, one that felt reminiscent of an insistent beckoning call being rung out from the dark, cold, quiet depths of a place unknown.

 _CLANG!_

The bug whipped their head up and unfolded their limbs in reaction to the sudden noise, only to look down to find that the long nail-like blade that was initially held upright in their hands had fallen over. Without further hesitation, the bug picked the nail back up and stood it up again before returning to their previous position. They would have resumed their nap, but they found their gaze lingering on a small black trinket of intricate detail lying a few inches away from its foot. Staring at the charm for a little while, the bug shuffled a foot and kicked the thing away. Not taking their gaze off the charm, however, they appeared to contemplate on the validity of their judgement in doing so. Nevertheless, they went to resume trying to take their nap.

All of a sudden, loud snarling sounds resonated across the walls of the shack as the bug looked up to find other bugs shambling their way inside. It didn't matter what types of bugs they were, only that their bodies were riddled with the same orange globs that covered the streets and rooftops of other buildings outside. What captured the hostility most of all was the appearance of their own eyes. Normally, all bugs, not just the citizens of Hallownest, possessed big black eyes that almost appeared beady, almost giving them an appearance of innocence. However, the bugs that were staggering towards the bug with its nail blade had eyes that were aglow with the same orange that bubbled from the rest of their bodies. It was as if their eyes had acquired a new set, one whose stare could burn right through one's soul since you could better tell that they were looking at you.

The bug did not hesitate to draw up their nail and pranced forward to take on the feral intruders. Taking several swings, the bug slashed away at them, causing some of the orange pustules to spray out equally orange liquid ichor upon being cut. The white-masked bug did not stop until all the intruders had fallen. Once they had, the bug turned back to hear some faint coughing from behind the shelf they had rested in front of moments before.

"My…friend?" a weak call reached out through the stale still air.

The cloaked bug hurriedly went around the shelf to find a young pill-like bug crouched against a bit of leftover rubble and debris. This second bug, from the sound of its voice while meekly coughing, was feminine, and she was quite young as well. The white-headed bug hastily kneeled down to look into her eyes, placing a little hand on her shoulder. Feeling her companion's touch, she lifted her head up to face them in the eyes.

"S-so sorry, m-my friend," she meekly apologized. "It'll stop in just a moment." As soon as she said, that she erupted into another fit of coughing, and it lasted longer than the first. The other bug could do nothing but hold her steady, keeping their eyes on her in case more infected bugs came and tried to attack her too. Once she finally caught her breath, the frail pill looked back up to the blank eyes of the other bug. "If they hear me, are they g-g-going to come b-back for me?"

The white-headed bug shook their head, gently tightening their grip on the sick bug's shoulder. Taking a brief look back over their own shoulder, they turned back to the little bug girl and released her. Keeping their eyes on her to keep her attention, they motioned their free hand that wasn't holding the nail to a spot on their head underneath their eyes where a mouth would be. Gesturing their hand several times, the bug girl nodded her head. "Okay, I'll f-find something good to eat, or maybe just something w-we can eat. Don't worry. Little **Myla** always tries to make a p-p-picnic every day." Hearing her say that made the silent cloaked bug nod to her with reassurance, and shortly turned around to head back out into the open. But just when Myla shuffled to get started, her companion turned back around to look at her one more time. She saw them gently motion a hand forward and then lift it to their face again to give a gesture that resembled a shushing command. "I know," Myla whispered in a pant, "I'll stay hidden and…I'll d-do my best to stay q-quiet." Those words were all that the silent bug hoped to hear. They then turned back to head outside.

Back in the area where they had just napped before, the white-headed bug spotted more of the infected making their way inside. Readying their nail again, the bug zipped into the fray, slashing and stabbing away at every orange-stained bug until they each finally fell one by one. More kept coming in despite there only being a few at a time. The white-headed horned bug had a slightly harder time maintaining their defense against the intruders. In fact, they did not notice that one infected bug managed to get behind them and gave a bestial swipe that knocked them off their feet. Tumbling into a roll onto the floor, the injured bug shakily tried to lift themselves back onto their feet, but could only manage to be on all fours. Feeling weakened, they looked to see that some of the infected had begun to slowly shuffle by them, appearing as though they were headed to the other side of the shelf, where Myla remained hidden. The sight of that got the bug warrior shaking in a panic, but as they swerved their head frantically, desperately looking for a way to stop these enemies from reaching Myla, their eyes landed upon the shiny black charm that they had kicked away earlier. Seeing nothing else that could possibly help them, the silent warrior could only crawl towards the trinket, going as fast as they can before the creatures could reach Myla, however difficult it was to muster the strength getting that far. With a final hard pull, the bug managed to stretch one of their arms far enough that it was over the trinket. Out of energy, their hand dropped down onto the charm's surface.

* * *

Outside the shack, many more bugs infected with the same orange gelatinous bubbles were shambling and staggering their way towards said shack where their two targets resided. A few more had made it inside, but in that same moment, the front openings of the shack suddenly spewed out a blindingly bright light and immediately, a crash came out from the front door. Several infected bugs were launched through the air out onto the contaminated ground as the remains of a black mask-like plume of magical smoke billowed from it. That plume of magic black smoke emanated from a floating black trinket, the same one that the nail-wielding bug had just touched to activate.

Wasting no time, the bug jumped out knowing that they had unlocked some sort of new power to fight off their enemies. Knowing that they now had more and greater means to protect Myla, their strength seemed almost reinvigorated. Running with a newfound speed, the warrior zipped around the wide area in front of the shack, slashing away at the infected and blasting others with magical black-colored energy from the charm that floated in the air at their side. The blasts appeared to resemble a bug's face, mainly like the warrior's, whose visage was mainly comprised of a blank head with two holes for eyes. But unlike the bug warrior's face which was white with dark if not black eyeholes, the magic blasts were completely black with eyeholes that were white. The warrior knew that this magical attack had a name. They could not quite figure out how it was so, but they had a feeling once they used the attack for the first time: **_Shade Soul_**.

While blasting Shade Soul at all the present enemies, more came crawling onto the premises. As the bug warrior observed, there appeared to be moderately more of them than the previous wave. They were not even sure if Shade Soul would be enough to fend them off, since they could only send one blast at a time and it was starting to feel taxing on their energy. Thinking that there had to be another way to use the charm to their advantage, the bug felt a different kind of attack in their mind. With a swipe of their nail, they took down one of the infected husks and dashed towards a nearby cluster of those same enemies. Mustering a little more energy, the silent warrior leapt into the air. In the same split second that they found themselves just over the middle of the cluster, they focused their strength and pushed themselves down to the ground. Upon landing, a shockwave of shadow erupted from them that pulverized the surrounding husks. For the warrior, it was indeed a new attack: _**Descending Dark**_.

Fending off more incoming husks with both Shade Soul and Descending Dark, though they still used the former more than the latter, the bug warrior only saw that the enemy's numbers had only increased with the next wave. From the looks of it, this new wave appeared to have more than the last several waves combined. The same way they discovered Descending Dark, the warrior searched deep for another kind of attack to effectively drive off the husks. With a realization that there was another way, they could feel a new supply of energy forming within their own chest; the accompaniment by the energy from the floating charm only amplified the feeling. Running at the thicker throngs of husks, the warrior focused their strength from within their chest and then opened up rapidly to unleash a torrent of magic energy. That torrent almost seemed like it screamed, due in part to the conglomerate of blasts resembling faces that had empty eyes and mouths open in a state of wailing. The result of this magical attack blew even more husks than the last two attacks did combined, and the warrior indeed felt stronger than ever thanks to it: **_Abyss Shriek_**.

Now having knowledge of three magic attacks, the warrior was sure that they could defend Myla without any further trouble. At that point, they were practically mowing down so many husks to the point that they were sure fate had run out of waves to throw at them. After eliminating the last wave, the warrior turned their head back to the entrance of the shack, knowing that it had been too long since they checked on Myla again. They hurried back to the shack but were suddenly stopped by a larger husk dropping from above. This husk appeared to be taller, more bulky, and even wearing armor and carrying a weapon. The warrior readied themselves. The giant armored husk lumbered forward and attempted to strike its smaller opponent with a heavy swing of its horn-like club, though said opponent dodged the slam with little effort. Hoping that they could get a few swings in, the warrior simultaneously knew that their only hope of defeating this giant enemy was through their realized magic attacks, even though those spells always expended their energy with each use. With the giant closing in again, the bug warrior did not see any other options. Focusing their strength, they began with shooting more Shade Soul blasts to stagger the enemy. Once that was done, they immediately rushed in to deal a few nail strikes, but just as they thought, they didn't do much to knock it down. The warrior knew that they didn't want to waste any more time fighting before getting back to Myla, so they had to finish this quickly. Avoiding more of the husk's heavy strikes, they employed another Shade Soul before dealing a short series of consecutive blasts of Abyss Shriek. They alternated between those two attacks since the creature was too tall for them to attempt Descending Dark. But eventually after a certain tiring amount of time, the giant armored husk fell down and never rose again.

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Sensing that there were finally no more enemies to fight, the warrior immediately rushed back into the shack, their dark green moth-wing cloak trailing behind them. Zipping through the door and around the dilapidated shelf within a couple seconds, the warrior knelt down to check on Myla. She was still coughing albeit a little more softly, though she did look a little more crumpled in her sitting position. When she sensed that her companion had returned, she looked back up to face them in the eyes.

"My friend, are y-y-you all right?" In response, the silent bug placed both hands on her shoulders with a slow and gentle nod. Myla smiled. "That's good. I'm glad." She then turned her head to the side to look down on a little item at her side. "Look, I f-found this while you were gone." She held up the item for her friend to see. "It's an egg, my favorite. I'll split it w-with you." Hearing that, the silent bug leaned back a little bit while lifting a hand and shaking their head to indicate refusal. "P-p-please, friend," Myla began to plead, "You have to eat something." She lifted the egg again, this time holding it a little closer to her silent friend. The white-headed bug looked at the egg held in the other's hands for a little longer moment. Thinking they may have reached a compromise, they used one hand to draw an invisible line over the egg that appeared to separate a big piece from a small piece. Pointing at where the small piece would be, they then turned that same pointing hand to themselves, giving a sign that resembled eating. Seeing that her friend intended on having the smaller half, Myla shook her head in protest, "N-no, that's not enough for you to get by. You have to eat to sur-" a violent cough erupted from her once again. She would have collapsed to the floor in a heap, but the other bug was there to catch her before that happened. Holding her, the bug leaned in even closer than before, trying to find out what was wrong with her.

"Oh no," Myla gasped, "I dropped t-the egg….I d-didn't mean to…" Her grip on her friend's supportive arms tightened, "You…you were always the one…h-h-helping me…" The other silent bug observed her to find that small tumors of luminescent orange were beginning to emerge on her shell. "I only w-wished I could help too…" Myla managed to say before collapsing down into her friend's embrace. The silent bug did not need anyone to tell them that they were shaking, but as they held their friend who had begun to fall victim to that same infection afflicting the others, they desperately wished they had a voice if only to cry out to whatever higher being was out there to demand why they had none. Even so, the desire for a voice to call out to whoever was out there became as frantically strong as ever within the horned bug. Holding Myla tightly while they blanketed her in their own green cloak, the silent bug continued to swing their head left, right, and up frantically in hopes of finding someone, anyone, who would notice them and bring help.

Outside the shack, all other residences remained silent and lifeless as always, save for the orange pustules and liquid puddles that lay everywhere, staining them with their faint and cadaverous light.

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 ***Enemies featured here are mainly husks. That includes: Wandering Husk, Husk Hornhead, Leaping Husk, Husk Bully, Husk Warrior, and featuring a Husk Guard as the boss for this segment.**


	2. Chapter 1: Centuries later

***Feel free to listen to Dirtmouth's theme for this chapter if you like, though if you want a recommendation from me, I'd try listening to "Song of the Ancients / Devola" (Keiichi Okabe) for the streets of Dirtmouth -between the 1st & 2nd line break and after the 3rd line break- and "Song of the Ancients / Popola" (also Keiichi Okabe) for home and the library -before the 1st line break and between the 2nd & 3rd line break.**

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Chapter 1: Centuries later…

In a modest bug-shelled house, a simple tiny chandelier of candles hung from the ceiling. The interior was silent save for the echoes of the soft breezes outside that brushed against the outside. At the moment within a quaint bedroom, a white-headed horned bug was getting themselves ready before heading outside. A little pill-like bug girl sat on the side of the room's only bed. She watched as the other bug finally got back on their feet after straightening out the blue moth-wing cloak that hung on their shoulders along with the nail blade strapped on their back. Said bug then turned to look at the girl and gave a wordless nod and a motion of their head towards the door, indicating that they would be heading out now.

The girl sat on her bed, unable to suppress a small cough. It wasn't very bad. She simply wasn't coughing very hard and loudly. It ended quickly, and the girl turned to look at the bug in front of her. "Friend, y-you want to hear ab-bout a crazy dream I had last night?"

The white-headed bug tilted their head to indicate curiosity.

The bug girl interpreted her companion's sign of questioning and went on to tell them about her dream. "Y-you see, I was in it and-d you were in it too. W-w-we were riding around on this h-huge pink cloud and then-"

She was interrupted by her listener suddenly approaching her. Seeing them place both of their hands on her own, she then saw the bug point to themselves and the door, afterwards lifting their hands and spinning them in a rolling fashion indicating a rush or hurry. She understood, but then thought to let her friend know something else before they left. "W-w-wait, c-can you get me a book while you're out?" The white-headed bug nodded their head before turning and finally walking out the bedroom door. Despite having left the room, the bug girl could not help but whisper one more thing even though there was no one to hear her. "See you at h-home again soon, friend."

* * *

Making their way down a short set of stairs, they then reached the ground floor of the house. That area had a small fire pit with a pot hung over it and had a few boxes surrounding it. In a corner of that same room, there was another bed, which the silent bug remembered having made a little while ago. Not stopping to linger on what they had already seen in their own home, which they shared with their little female companion who remained in her bedroom upstairs, they went straight out the front door. Outside was a world that looked very much less comfy. It was pretty much dark and overcast above and a wind speckled with snowy and dusty particles constantly blew through the streets and around the houses and other buildings. In fact, everyone else, not just the silent bug, knew that there was no such thing as a brightly lit sky here. This was because the sky above was always black, casting an eternal shadow or darkness, which technically meant that it was always nighttime everywhere. The only sources of light that guided everyone's paths while navigating the little town came from lampposts or the lights from within the houses shining through the windows.

At this time, not many bug residents were out and about in town, though the silent bug did not mind the solitude and silence apart from the wind. Making their way from their house to the plaza in the center of town, they happened upon an old hunchbacked beetle standing beside one of the lampposts. Moving closer, the elderly bug noticed their presence and turned his head to face the other. "Good morning," he greeted the little blue-cloaked bug before him. The little bug nodded in response, since they could not speak. "How is little Myla today?" he inquired to the silent being. The silent one only shrugged their shoulders, to which the elder hummed in understanding. "I see. Well, be careful not to run around carelessly," the elder concluded. The little bug nodded again in affirmation.

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They turned away to head towards a larger and more prominent building somewhere in the heart of town. Getting to the door of that building, they made their way inside to stand within a tall chamber lined with shelves on its walls packed with books. But the silent bug was not interested in reading today. Moving quickly to the other end of the chamber, they knocked on the little door that stood before them.

"Come in," came a male voice, one that was not as frail-toned as the elder bug outside. The silent bug registered the voice's permission to enter and came through the door. Before them was a portly bug sitting behind a desk in a room decorated with some books, scrolls, small crystal containers, equally small instruments, and a few decorative sculptures. The portly bug sitting at his desk appeared to be of a faint purple. He wore some kind of headpiece comprised of three shiny little stones and had a dark purple cape with a red collar draped around his shoulders and fastened together with a stone just like the ones in his headpiece but slightly larger. "Good morning to you, knight," the portly bug greeted his visitor in a slightly stuffy tone.

The silent bug, apparently referred to as 'Knight,' signed with their hands in response to the greeting. First, it was a sign indicating a good morning and then several more that represented letters spelling out the portly bug's name: S-I-L-A-S, Silas. The portly bug, or Silas as he was named, resumed his dialogue with the knight. "How is Myla doing today?"

The knight shook their head. Motioning their hands to imitate coughing and then a flat line, they signed an expression that was indicative of Myla's cough having not improved at all.

"Hm, that is worrisome," was Silas's reply, "I hope she gets well soon."

Likewise, the knight nodded in agreement. The knight then signed new utterances, including signs that spell Myla's name, imitating eating, a positive gesture, pointing to themselves, other actions, and then a shrug of the shoulders that indicated cluelessness. They then hung their head down and shook it gently, their eyes vacantly facing the floor.

But Silas caught on to that and spoke up, reassuring the knight, "Oh, don't be like that. You are the finest friend that girl could hope to have." He waited for a brief moment, giving the knight time to process his words before looking up seeming a little more encouraged. Not wanting to idle any longer with such a depressing discussion, he moved on. "Well anyways, I was hoping you could take care of something for me." The knight looked at him intently as he continued speaking, "I got a request from someone in the merchants' neighborhood here in Dirtmouth. They need you to get some of those Bluggsac eggs down near Crystal Peak." Hearing that, the knight nodded their head with a little more fervor as they accepted this new job of the day. Silas continued speaking, "Since you are going down to the Forgotten Crossroads along the way, let me give you a map. It will come useful to you, trust me." He said this as he handed a rolled-up map over to the knight.

As the knight moved upon thinking themselves ready to depart, the portly bug spoke again, "Oh, and one more thing: would you mind purchasing three Wanderer's Journals from the client while you are doing it? I already finished deciphering the last one earlier. Here is some Geo." As he spoke, the knight went back over to the bug's desk as said bug handed a little bundled bag containing tiny stones which were evidently Geo.

 ** _*Geo is the name of the stones used as currency for the bugs, not just in Dirtmouth, but also the rest of Hallownest._**

Holding the bag of Geo in their hands, the knight looked back at the large bug and shook it slightly while tilting their head to the side, suggesting inquiry. "I understand," Silas said, "Wanderer's Journals do not usually cost so much, but there is more than enough in there to afford three. You can use what is left to buy something for Myla." The knight raised a hand to object, but the other cut them off, "It is all right, truly." Seeing that there was no changing the older rounder bug's mind, the knight relented and turned back to the door. But this time, it was the knight's turn to the other to give a final adieu in the form of a nod along with two hands cupped over their chest, together symbolizing gratitude.

"My, whatever for?" came Silas's response. The knight replied by pointing at him, making a gesture related to giving, pointing to themselves, and then hand motions indicating work. Additionally, they gestured towards the outside and moved their hand left and right to look widespread. When that was followed by a point towards Silas and then themselves, followed by the same working gesture, he understood that the knight clarified the situation of him telling the townspeople about the knight being for hire. He chuckled, "Oh, that? It is of no great concern. They need help and you need Geo to take care of Myla. This way, everyone wins." The knight responded with one final energetic nod before finally turning to leave.

Making their way back across the chamber of books, they were just about to head through the front door when they spotted Myla herself standing in front of one of the aisles of books. Miffed that Myla was outside the house when she wasn't supposed to, the knight immediately went right up to the girl to get her attention. Myla sensed his presence and turned around to face them. "O-oh, hello f-friend," she greeted them in her usual meek tone of voice. The knight replied to that by placing both of their hands on their hips. Sensing their displeasure, she held her hands together in a slightly guilty manner. "S-sorry, my friend," she apologized, "I just th-thought that m-maybe I could go to Silas's library and find a b-b-book about my illness." The knight in turn walked up to her and gently clasped her hands in their own. Not taking their eyes off her, they released one hand while holding hers with their other and used the former to point to themselves before then placing it over their heart. Myla sighed, having remembered them tell her many times before about letting them worry about it. The knight then proceeded to point to her, gesture signs related to eating and sleeping, and then a final sign implying improvement or recovery. "You r-really think so?" was Myla's next question for reassurance. The knight nodded as an answer. They then signed to her that they had a lot of work to do for the day, so they would be back later. When they gave a sharp nod at Myla to confirm if she understood, she nodded right back. Seeing that from her, the knight went straight to the front door and opened it, taking care to hold it for Myla to pass through before following shortly after. They just needed to lead her back to the house before taking off to the well leading down into Hallownest to do their newest job.

* * *

While Myla and the knight were walking together, the elder bug from before continued to stand from below the lamppost observing them, as well as the rest of the streets interwoven within the town known as Dirtmouth.

 _Elder Bug: Hallownest is dying. Once thriving populations now lie decimated by plague and disease. The end has never felt so close. And if that was not enough, creatures called Shades now roam the land, threatening bugkind's very lives. But for the Knight, that is of no consequence. Their dearest friend, Myla, is sick and their only concern is to give her a better life. They try their best, but they are only one bug, and a hard one at that. So the kindness of the townsfolk has meant much. Nothing will stop them. They will fight for Myla until the end…_

 _…until the very end._

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 ***Introducing Elderbug and Silas, everybody!**


	3. Chapter 2: Errands (Part 1)

***Sorry for the wait, everyone. Writer's block can be a real pain!**

 ***I can't think of a more fitting theme for this chapter than Christopher Larkin's "Forgotten Crossroads." Though there's still the themes "Song of the Ancients" (both Devola and Popola versions) for the paragraphs between the third and fourth line break, Devola for the first half and Popola for the second half plus after the fourth line break. (or just the Dirtmouth theme if that better suits your fancy)**

 **Enjoy!**

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Errands (Part 1)

It had been a little while, but after escorting Myla home, the knight had already arrived at the well near the outskirts of the town of Dirtmouth. At the bottom of the well was the way into Hallownest, the subterranean kingdom that had fallen into ruin some time ago. The knight landed on their feet with a rock-cracking hammering impact as they found themselves in Hallownest's topmost area: **The Forgotten Crossroads**.

They looked left and right to survey the barren roads and landscapes, dark save for a few sparse lampposts and luminescent specks with wings. On the horizon were spiraled structures that gave the impression of hills or shortened mountains. Old pillars and columns of sophisticated geometries lined the gravel path that the knight had landed on feet first. Looking at their map, they deduced that **Crystal Peak** was to their left, so without further hesitation, they took off in that direction. Inconveniently though, the path was not straight; there were issues of the road being cut off by sinkholes or a sharp rise on elevation that gave the impression of steep ledges. Furthermore, the knight had run into several smaller bug-like creatures, mainly Tiktiks that crawled around and across every nook and cranny of the cavern. The knight didn't need to think much as they swatted the Tiktiks away with a few swings of their nail. Hopping across more gravelly ledges, they passed a crumbled column and a sign pointing the direction to Crystal Peak when they spotted an orange pulsing mass sitting near a pile of rocks. It appeared to be some sizable mass composed of smaller orange globules with a frilled ring on top. The mass bloated and squished as it excreted out a few drops of orange slime with a slurp. It wasn't obvious, but the knight stared at the thing like they had come across something unexpected.

From what it knew, the closest source of Bluggsacs was at Crystal Peak, though these living globules also existed in other deeper parts of Hallownest. Unless it was any of those exclusive locations, no Bluggsac would be found anywhere else, yet the knight found one standing before them as though there was nothing out of the ordinary. Not only that, the knight looked further to find a few more sitting a few meters away from the closest one standing before them.

If they could speak, they would have been asking what Bluggsacs were doing so far away from Crystal Peak. A multitude of reasons had gone through their mind as to why it was so, but knew that despite what it may be, there were a few available for collection to complete their task. Wasting no time, the knight immediately made their way towards one of the pulsing mass of orbs and slashed away at it with their nail. Swinging their nail and slicing at the thing until it burst and exploded into drops of foul juice, the knight kept their gaze at the spot to witness a small orange lump sitting on the splattered puddle where the Bluggsac once stood. The knight knelt down and reached over to pick up the bulbous object, taking a moment to register that what they held was the Bluggsac egg they were assigned to collect. Having successfully collected one, the knight went on to collect more eggs from the other Bluggsacs that stood nearby.

After a little while, the knight had finished collecting all the requested eggs before placing them in their inventory. Seeing that their task was complete, the knight went back the way they came on the gravelly crossroad path and continued until they reached the hanging chain that led back up the well from which they entered. The knight was just a few meters away from the gravelly platform that stood below the well entrance when they caught a glimpse of a group of black wispy specters floating near the area. These creatures faintly resembled ghosts, only that they appeared to be round heads with horns sprouting from the top and tattered tendrils attached below at the neck, trailing as they drifted about. They were entirely black with a pair of piercingly white eyes blankly staring in an unknown direction. There was no doubt in the knight's mind. Those were **Shades**.

Brandishing their nail once again, the knight briefly watched the shadowy creatures as the floated about before making their first move. With a dash, the knight jumped at the closest Shade in their sights. Unlike the Tik-Tiks they fought earlier, the Shades were harder to kill. Upon hitting the first Shade, the black wraith turned its attention to the knight and drifted towards its assailant. The knight knew that with the first strike, they had put themselves into battle with the Shades, so there was no turning back. All that was left was the need to finish what they started. Without further hesitation, the knight swung away at the Shade they first hit, making sure to jump out of the creature's path before landing another. It took about four hits before the Shade was finally hacked away into oblivion, though the knight braced themselves for the Shade's scattered black particles that were left over to be drawn into their own body. Immediately, the knight turned back to face the few remaining Shades that flew around the silent warrior. The knight thought it unusual that the dark creatures did not yet attempt to extend a limb or any other sorts to attack, but the knight didn't care. With a few careful maneuvers and timed strikes, the rest of the Shades were hacked away into leftover particles. Like the first, the knight saw and felt the dispersed flecks of black flew into their body like they were attracted to the silent bug. The knight, however, did not take that as a surprise. This fight was not their first time dealing with Shades, and the first time the knight did experience absorbing their scattered essence was alarming, but upon absorption, felt their integration to be harmless, almost reinvigorating. For the moment, they didn't know why it was so. Once the way was clear, the knight proceeded to climb the chain back up the well.

* * *

Glimpsing the familiar sight of Dirtmouth once again, the knight made their way to one of the shelled huts on the nearby town street. Coming through the front door, they made their way to the desk up front where a thin female bug stood leaning over the surface. She appeared beaked with thin limbs, a thin thorax, and a larger and curvy abdomen. Her antennae were both tied together with a small band which had them curled over her head like ponytails.

Upon seeing the visitor coming up to her, the shopkeeper turned her eyes to face them. "Hello there, little knight. What brings you here?" The knight responded by pulling out the collected Bluggsac eggs and showing them to her. The shopkeeper saw the eggs and spoke rather jovially, "Oh, thank you! You wouldn't believe how popular these eggs are lately." Bending down behind her desk, there was only the sound of items being shuffled about in the room until she stood back up again. In her hand was a bundle of Geo. "Here. This isn't much, but I'd like you to have it, and tell Silas I said thanks, alright?" The knight nodded while taking their payment. "Well," the shopkeeper commented with a relieved sigh, "now that that's settled, is there anything I can do for you?" The knight remembered Silas having also asked for three Wanderer's Journals. Scanning all the items on the shelves behind her, the knight pointed to a bunch of Wanderer's Journals sitting on one of the higher shelves that stood just above the shopkeeper's head. When the shopkeeper turned to look at the journals, the knight flicked their hand three times to indicate that they wanted three of them. The shopkeeper understood this and handed over the three journals to her customer. The knight, likewise, paid for them in Geo.

Upon turning to leave, they heard the shopkeeper speak again. "You tell that little girl of yours to get better soon." The knight nodded once more, using signs to spell out the shopkeeper's name, I-S-E-L-D-A, Iselda, and then passing back out the front door.

It had been some time since the knight returned to the library. The silent little bug made it to the door to Silas's office and made their way in. Silas had been working at his desk when he detected the knight entering the room. "Ah, you have returned," he greeted, "Did you get the eggs for the client?" The knight nodded and then pulled out the Wanderer's Journals from their cloak and placed them on Silas's desk. "You got the journals as well," Silas commented, "thank you." The knight added to the update by signing the name of the Forgotten Crossroads and the Bluggsacs, indicating that they found the goods there instead of Crystal Peak. "Really?" Silas replied in surprise, "that is unexpected." He lowered his head in contemplation.

The knight waited for a moment, wondering what Silas was thinking about. Silas turned his head back up to face the knight and spoke to them, "Anyways, you look exhausted. Why don't you call it a day? I'm sure Myla would love some extra time with you." The knight stood for a moment, but then nodded in affirmation. Turning around, the little bug left the office and library to return to their house, though not before looking through the shelves and grabbing a book.

* * *

Upon arriving back at the house, the knight immediately proceeded upstairs to find Myla sitting on her bed. From the looks of it, she had been sitting and waiting for a while, perhaps until the knight came home. Myla turned to see her friend having finally returned. "W-welcome b-b-back, friend," she cooed, expressing a soft joy from seeing her closest friend after so long. Remembering what she wanted to tell them back in the morning, she spoke to them again, "Hey friend-d, ab-bout that dream I had today, there w-was me and…um…" she hesitated, having forgotten some of the details already. "I think th-there was a big p-p-pink Mosscreep or something…I guess I kind-da forgot the r-rest. But it was r-r-really odd!"

The knight went over to Myla and put their hand over hers. Myla looked into the knight's eyes and felt assured by their gaze that her forgetting the dream was no big deal. Sitting next to her on the bed, the knight pulled from their cloak the book that they had taken from the library earlier. Opening it, they sifted through the pages until reaching a page inscribed with information about a plant called the Delicate Flower. Showing it to Myla, the knight watched her eyes widen in fascination.

"It's pretty," she gasped gently. The knight nodded and then directed Myla's gaze further down the page describing the Delicate Flower until they reached a part which said of the Delicate Flower being able to grant the wish of anyone who finds one and making their dreams come true. Myla turned to face her friend. "C-could…could a Delicate Flower m-m-make me better?" she asked. The knight nodded, patting Myla's hand gently, to which Myla then softly leaned onto the former's shoulder. Shutting her eyes, she rested her head for a moment.

"Hmm," the knight heard, assuming that the sound came from Myla. Turning their head to look at Myla, Myla then opened her eyes and looked up at her friend's face upon feeling their movement. When she saw them, the silent bug tilted their head to the side to indicate a question. Myla had the feeling that they were asking her about the little 'hmm' she made just now. "N-no, it was nothing." She shuffled and began scooting herself under the covers of her bed. "Good night, f-friend." The knight did not have any clue as to what had just happened, but shrugged their shoulders and tucked Myla in anyway. Once that was done, they proceeded down to stairs to their bed on the first floor down below to get ready for tomorrow.

* * *

 ***I would've just used some random shopkeeper, but I wanted to stay relevant, so here's Iselda everybody.**


End file.
